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What makes a photo memorable? Is it the lighting? The mood? The angle? Sure, all of those things are important. But! What. You. Really. Need. Is… impeccable timing! In fact, timing and rhythm are what great photos and wonderful comedy have in common. Without them, no technical know-how will save your work from falling flat on its face.

Fortunately, the world’s full of quality photographers who, either through skilled reflexes or sheer luck, take a snap at the right moment and capture a hilarious moment. Upvote your favorite perfectly timed funny pics as you scroll through this list compiled by the hard-working Bored Panda team and let us know which pics you loved the most and why in the comments.

By the way, you’ll find some more amazing photos that were timed so right you’d think the Universe was directly involved in our posts right here, here, as well as here. It was actually French photography legend (and our personal idol) Henri Cartier-Bresson who coined the term ‘decisive moment’ which is the point at which the photo is most significant.

Bored Panda wanted to learn more about the importance of timing in both photography and comedy, so we reached out to professional photographer Dominic Sberna. Have a read through what he said below. Psst, he's also got some advice for amateur photographers who constantly find themselves missing out on hilarious moments.

#1

Booped By Floppy Fren

Booped By Floppy Fren

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According to photographer Dominic, timing is a "valued asset and skill" to some degree in the hierarchy of all the things important to a photographer. But it might not be the main thing, depending on the style of photography. "Planning out a shot or scene (depending on your style) takes time and planning. Composition is probably the most important in my mind though. One doesn't have to necessarily follow the rules of composition, but how a photo is laid out is going to make or break a photo. Some of the best photos in the world don't necessarily follow the rules of composition because their layout is made that much better by breaking them in a way that challenges the norm," he explained.

Dominic stressed that the style of photography we prefer to shoot will determine just how important timing is to us. "In sports photography, it's the timing of the shutter being clicked to capture that perfect moment. In landscape photography, more times than not, a photographer has planned an exact time to be at a specific location. In nature photography, it's a bit of both, as well as a bit of luck thrown into that one to see that special animal you're looking for."

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#4

This Diving Photo I Took Of My Friend Makes It Look She's Doing A Handstand On Water

This Diving Photo I Took Of My Friend Makes It Look She's Doing A Handstand On Water

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#5

Caught This Incredible Exploding Meteor When I Went To Rattlesnake Lake In Washington, USA Last Weekend. Zoom In To See The Exact Moment It Explodes In Two

Caught This Incredible Exploding Meteor When I Went To Rattlesnake Lake In Washington, USA Last Weekend. Zoom In To See The Exact Moment It Explodes In Two

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JuJu
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Fantastic. I would put it on a wall. The lake, the woods, the stars...

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#6

Slipped And Fell While Photographing A Wedding Party. Snapped A Pic On The Way Down

Slipped And Fell While Photographing A Wedding Party. Snapped A Pic On The Way Down

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WilvanderHeijden
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

How people react to a person falling, from quiet anticipation via a sneaky grin to sheer terror.

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"Timing means something different to everyone, but it is of utmost importance at the end of the day. Some will say it's luck, some will say it's skill, but at the end of the day, I truly believe it is a bit of both combined with experience and the ability to learn from your previous work," the photographer told Bored Panda.

According to Dominic, if you ever find yourself constantly missing out on taking the perfect comic snaps, you have to keep trying until you improve, just like with any other skill. "Unless you know a hilarious moment is coming by recognizing that it's about to happen, is that it's a matter of just trying. Keep trying and it'll pay off eventually. Maybe not as fast as you would like it to, but like anything, if you work at it enough, it will come to you in time." So grab that camera or phone and keep at it, Pandas.

#7

My Girlfriend And Her Friends Tried To Take A Group Photo, Alfie Wanted To Be In It As Well

My Girlfriend And Her Friends Tried To Take A Group Photo, Alfie Wanted To Be In It As Well

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#8

Attempted To Take A Cute Picture Of Me And My Dog. This Was The Result

Attempted To Take A Cute Picture Of Me And My Dog. This Was The Result

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#9

Learning The Hard Way

Learning The Hard Way

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Doggo Froggo
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Go ice skating, they said. It would be fun and easy, they said. Is he a furry Eddie the Eagle, by any chance?

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“We work in unison with movement as though it were a presentiment on the way in which life itself unfolds. But inside movement there is one moment at which the elements in motion are in balance. Photography must seize upon this moment and hold immobile the equilibrium of it,” Cartier-Bresson wrote in the preface of his photobook, ‘The Decisive Moment.’

For him, a meaningful photograph lies at the intersection of deliberate composition and instinctively feeling when we should take the picture.

“Sometimes it happens that you stall, delay, wait for something to happen. Sometimes you have the feeling that here are all the makings of a picture—except for just one thing that seems to be missing. But what one thing? Perhaps someone suddenly walks into your range of view. You follow his progress through the viewfinder. You wait and wait, and then finally you press the button—and you depart with the feeling (though you don’t know why) that you’ve really got something. Later, to substantiate this, you can take a print of this picture, trace it on the geometric figures which come up under analysis, and you’ll observe that, if the shutter was released at the decisive moment, you have instinctively fixed a geometric pattern without which the photograph would have been both formless and lifeless,” writes photography grandmaster Cartier-Bresson.

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#10

At A Bonfire. Wife Instructs Me To Hold My One Year Old Son High To Get A "Cool Shot". I Think It Looks Like I'm About To Sacrifice Him

At A Bonfire. Wife Instructs Me To Hold My One Year Old Son High To Get A "Cool Shot". I Think It Looks Like I'm About To Sacrifice Him

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#11

Lightning Striking Simultaneously On Chicago's Three Tallest Buildings

Lightning Striking Simultaneously On Chicago's Three Tallest Buildings

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#12

She Landed On My Shoulder

She Landed On My Shoulder

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Martine Remmelzwaal
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

OK nevermind my above comments haha now I see the point if this post. Did notice the grandma but saw them as seperate. After reading your comment I was abe to merge them.

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Your Cousin Vinny
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This picture is so magical it takes my breath away. It creates a story in my imagination about a little boy who got to keep the magnifying glass his recently deceased grandmother had used all of the time. He loved and missed her so much. He would sometimes imagine seeing her as a tiny fairy with wings, when he looked through their magnifying glass.....

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Raine Soo
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The man is a Disney prince. A few springs ago, a monarch butterfly stopped on my shoulder for a few minutes as I was sitting at an outdoor cafe with a friend. She thought that it was so charming, that she took photo on her mobile phone. I should ask to see it eventually...

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Emma Cryder
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This made me laugh like crazy in the middle of science class....oop-

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Rosie Hamilton
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Do you have any butterfly zoo-type places you could go to? Increases the chances!

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Elaine Mattingly
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Opened every wonderful memory I've had in years Daddy, Baby, and the tooth fairy! I knew she was real.

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June Galloway
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

looks like the butterfly stayed in the cocoon a little long, lol

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Mojones
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"Cocoon" is the movie title we're looking for here, right?

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Martine Remmelzwaal
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well if it in one of those "butterfly gardens" which it seems to be by the looks of the plants and another butterfly on the roof. It is very common. Wold not happen to all visitors but I would say about one in twenty. We had one at our zoo bloody hot, but quite interesting.

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Martine Remmelzwaal
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It happens in my own garden quite a lot too actually several times each summer. Much less butterflies obviously. Even less dragonflies but they tend to lend on me often as well. (Way more often by comparison, if you check against the number of sightings. When one is within a meter of you 50% chance it will land on you, for a butterfly less than one I would say)

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Faith Nicole
Community Member
3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Oh my God 🤣 my side hurts from laughing so much, I mean this woman's neck even lines up perfectly 🤦‍♀️😂

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Raj Gill
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Just imagine we are in a world where this was real, that would freak me out!

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Lisa Tetlow
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

THE FLY!!! Does anyone else think this guy looks like Christopher Meloni (Elliot Stabler)?

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Susan Mercurio
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I was looking at the kid who is fascinated with the butterfly and the magnifying glass.

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Mumof1
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ah yes - a very rare species - the Old Lady butterfly not to be confused with the Painted Lady.

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Lisa Bateman
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

He looks like Eliot Stabler from "Law and order special victims unit"

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Layla Corman
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

At first I thought, "I have several pics with butterflies on my person." Then, I saw that this isn't your normal butterfly! 👵🏼

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Týna Ef
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

one of those landed on my face once...sadly no photos...i was scared AF

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Dash Blue
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I laughed out loud. Two seconds. Then I remembered Covid-19. The laughter died. Then I thought of kittens, and I smiled. Ha! Funny grandma! Screw Covid-19.

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Jarupa Suksut
Community Member
3 years ago

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Taking grandmaster photographer Cartier-Bresson's words to heart, we can see that what makes a hilarious photo, well, hilarious, is a mix between skill and luck. The photographer might not be controlling the outcome or all of the circumstances, but they’re consistently out in the field, using their reflexes and listening to their instincts that conspire to make them take the photo at the right moment. Right when things are most decisive and powerful.

Just like in photography, timing means a lot in comedy as well. Just imagine blurting out the punchline to a joke before your audience even had time to absorb the wind-up. Or the opposite: revealing the punchline once all the tension and anticipation has already evaporated.

The same applies to comic photos. A second too early or too late and the humor is gone or the entire tone of the image shifts.

#13

This Man Saved Our Dog. You Can See Our Cat Jumping Out The Window

This Man Saved Our Dog. You Can See Our Cat Jumping Out The Window

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#14

My Wife Just Texted Me This Picture Of Our Cat Playing Behind The TV

My Wife Just Texted Me This Picture Of Our Cat Playing Behind The TV

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#15

My Father’s Chair Failing At A Coast Guard Change Of Command

My Father’s Chair Failing At A Coast Guard Change Of Command

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#16

Love At First Sight

Love At First Sight

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Raine Soo
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ha, ha , ha! That caption made me burst out laughing. I see kindred spirits.

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#17

Picture Taken Of Woman Falling Before She Realizes She Is Falling

Picture Taken Of Woman Falling Before She Realizes She Is Falling

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#18

The Timing Of This Image Makes It Look Like My Nephew Is A Waterbender

The Timing Of This Image Makes It Look Like My Nephew Is A Waterbender

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#19

This Is The Best Photo My Mom Ever Took Of Me

This Is The Best Photo My Mom Ever Took Of Me

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#21

One Second Before Disaster

One Second Before Disaster

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Full Name
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

One second before disaster for kitty, and one point one seconds before disaster for Doggo.

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#22

Giraffe's Shadow Looks Like A Unicorn

Giraffe's Shadow Looks Like A Unicorn

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#23

My Cat Seems To Have Misplaced His Body Somewhere

My Cat Seems To Have Misplaced His Body Somewhere

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Raine Soo
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I did a double take, and then noticed the ledge. There is always a logical explanation for everything, right?

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#24

I Snapped This Photo Of A Cardinal Jumping And It Looks Like He Is Floating

I Snapped This Photo Of A Cardinal Jumping And It Looks Like He Is Floating

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#26

This Picture I Took Of My Dogs As The Ball Was Being Thrown

This Picture I Took Of My Dogs As The Ball Was Being Thrown

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#27

The Mythical Annubis

The Mythical Annubis

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#28

Caught My Crow Buddy Mid-Blink, Making Her Look Very Sinister

Caught My Crow Buddy Mid-Blink, Making Her Look Very Sinister

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#31

She Kicked The Phone Out Of My Hands At Exactly The Right Moment

She Kicked The Phone Out Of My Hands At Exactly The Right Moment

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#33

My Friend's Dog Sneaking It's Tongue Into His Mouth While He Was Laughing

My Friend's Dog Sneaking It's Tongue Into His Mouth While He Was Laughing

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#34

Just Trying To Take A Nice Picture With My Cat

Just Trying To Take A Nice Picture With My Cat

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#35

This Picture My Wife Captured At The Perfect Moment Of Our Cats

This Picture My Wife Captured At The Perfect Moment Of Our Cats

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#36

I Photographed A White Stag Mid Sneeze

I Photographed A White Stag Mid Sneeze

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#37

Girl Scratches Her Back And It Looks Like A Horror Movie

Girl Scratches Her Back And It Looks Like A Horror Movie

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Raine Soo
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

How flexible is this woman? That arm looks completely disembodied, which amps up the fright factor.

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#41

I Had Just Finished Saying “I Can’t Believe She Never Falls In!”

I Had Just Finished Saying “I Can’t Believe She Never Falls In!”

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#42

The Lid Coming Off Jonah Hills's Drink

The Lid Coming Off Jonah Hills's Drink

"The internet has been very interested in this photo of me dropping my coffee. But we’re all forgetting the real tragedy here. We’re forgetting to mourn this coffee. I didn’t know it long but damn was our time together special. As fleeting as it was. I’ll never forget you."

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#43

Thought The Driver Of This Car Was Just Staring Me Down For No Reason

Thought The Driver Of This Car Was Just Staring Me Down For No Reason

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#44

This Girl Looks Like She's Underwater And Jumping Into Water At The Same Time

This Girl Looks Like She's Underwater And Jumping Into Water At The Same Time

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#45

My Baby's First Birthday. We Had No Idea There Was A Sparkler In The Candle

My Baby's First Birthday. We Had No Idea There Was A Sparkler In The Candle

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#46

Years Ago My Brother Lost His Cellphone On A Roller Coaster. We Figured There Was No Way To Know When. Then She Saw The Ride Photo

Years Ago My Brother Lost His Cellphone On A Roller Coaster. We Figured There Was No Way To Know When. Then She Saw The Ride Photo

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Sunzilla
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I read this: "68 years ago..." which didn't make a whole lot of sense when you talk about a cellphone 😂

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#48

What Could Go Wrong If I Take A Picture With This Gopher Snake I Found In The Road?

What Could Go Wrong If I Take A Picture With This Gopher Snake I Found In The Road?

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#50

My Parents' New Pupper Misjudged His Jump

My Parents' New Pupper Misjudged His Jump

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Note: this post originally had 120 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.